Wisconsin Lights - Port Washington Re-visited

The Light Station. 5/25/24 dwm

When we visited Port Washington's lighthouses the first time it was in February 2018. They were closed.

St. Mary's Light Station was open for tours which meant an opportunity to visit the lantern. It was just $5 to walk around the restored first floor and climb the tower.

The first floor has a living/meeting room where guests could be received. A dining room set with china embossed with the seal of the U.S. Light House Service (photos below), and a kitchen built in the second lighthouse structure (the first one was built in 1849 but didn't work out, it was replaced in 1859) against a remaining wall from the original house.

A staircase is built into the west wall with a turn onto the second floor where the keeper's office is located. Outside its window is a view of Lake Michigan.

The tour guide explained the keeper's duties in the mid-19th century which included protecting the Fresnel lens from sun during daytime by hanging panels around the lantern windows.

The meeting room. dwm

At the time officials thought the sun could damage the ornate lens which could focus light into a powerful beam sweeping across the water.

From the second floor there are two sets of stairs to the top. The stairs are more of a ladder than staircase because that's how you climb, facing the steps going up and down.

A formal place-setting. 5/25/24 dwm

The view from the top is still spectacular in spite of the other homes and grown trees. While the light was replaced by a pier head light a long time ago, it's easy to imagine what Port Washington looked like a century ago.

A breakwater light was built in 1889. It proved to be effective, so the light station's days were numbered, closing in 1903. It continued as a home for keepers attending to the pier head light until the 1970s and Coast Guardsmen until the station closed for good in 1993 when it was turned over to the local historical society.

A close-up. 5/25/24 dwm

The guide and I talked about the lighthouse and local history for more than 10 minutes while enjoying the 360-degree view.

Out of the 120 lights we've seen, I've only made it up the tower in 12 of them. Most lanterns are off-limits to the public while others weren't open when we visited. Each time I get to the top, no matter how high, is a special occasion.

The pierhead is just right of light.

Compared to our first visit in February 2018, I took a lot more pictures.

We drove around downtown, taking shots of the pier head light from different angles and shots of the Light Station from across the marina looking up to the light. Several of those are at the end of the blog.

Later this year, we plan to visit more Great Lakes lights. I'm hoping to climb at least a few of them.

As the era of lighthouses ended with advances in technology that did away with the human keepers and navigation aids that could guide ships in all kinds of conditions; many lights were taken down to make way for homes or businesses.

Thankfully some, like the Port Washington Light Station, are preserved to shine their light on local history, keeping important stories alive.

Here are the bonus pictures - all taken May 25, 2024 by dwm.